Music of the Irish

In March the first evidence of green appears on the landscape. No, I am not referring to the croci and snowdrops that push their way up through the cold soil to promise that winter’s grip is loosening. I am talking about the flash flood of green that sweeps across the countryside as the nation celebrates St. Patrick’s Day.

Irish, Irish descent, not Irish at all—it doesn’t matter. Nearly everyone wears a touch of green, enjoys a slice of soda bread or raises a glass of beer in honor of the day. For many, the weeks around St. Patrick’s Day also include the annual treat of a concert featuring Gaelic music.

For those wishing to absorb the sounds of Ireland, here is a compendium of places offering the opportunity.

Starting from the Berkshires and working south through the tristate region we find that the Young Dubliners are slated to perform at the Colonial Theatre, 111 South Street in Pittsfield on Sunday, March 17th, at 7:30PM. The band is headed by Keith Roberts, who hails from Ireland, but is composed of American musicians. Since 1993 they have performed a style of music called Celtic Rock for its fusion of traditional Irish music and rock ‘n’ roll.

Roberts has said he didn’t listen to traditional Irish music growing up. “But when I got here, I got homesick and developed a new appreciation for Irish music,” he explained. The music played by the band developed as a hybrid. “That was always been the idea,” Roberts said.

The Young Dubliners will be joined by an up-and-coming Albany-based band, Kilashandra. Its members began playing Celtic music in pubs and at regional Irish Festivals in 2021.

The spirit of the day will be set even before the groups take to the stage, however, when children from the Scoil Rince Breifne O Ruairc dance school perform in the Colonial Theatre Lobby from 6:30 to 7:30PM.

For tickets, go to www.chronogram.com.

Moving south to Lenox Massachusetts residents are invited to take a Musical Trip to Ireland with Berkshire Lyric’s annual Kick the Winter Blues pop concerts on Saturday and Sunday, March 18th and 19th. The concerts will be presented at 3PM in the Lenox Town Hall auditorium, 13-33 Walker Street.

The Berkshire Lyric Chorus is composed of between 70 and 100 singers representing all walks of life from Berkshire County and surrounding areas. The chorus performs diverse choral music in the Berkshire area, culminating with an annual spring oratorio program.

Tickets are available at www.eventbrite.com

In Great Barrington, the Berkshire Food Co-op, 34 Bridge Street, will celebrate all things Irish on Sunday, March 5th, from 11AM to 1PM with tea, soda bread and Irish dancing on the patio.

Taproot Sessions will follow this on Thursday, March 9th, with a Sliabh Notes’ workshop on traditional Irish music for fiddle, button accordion and guitar, 6 to 7:15PM and a concert, 8 to 9PM. Both sessions will be presented at Dewey Hall in Sheffield, 91 Main Street.

Sliabh Notes is composed of Limerick accordionist Dónal Murphy, County Cork fiddler Matt Cranitch and County Kerry guitarist and vocalist, Tommy O’Sullivan. Together they bring together the music of Ireland’s Sliabh Luachra region, noted for its vibrant dance music, with songs and tunes that reflect the Irish contribution to music of the American South.

During the workshop Cranitch will give insight into Irish fiddle music while Murphy will demonstrate the button accordion. Tommy O’Sullivan on the guitar will teach DADGAD tuning, an alternative method of guitar tuning most associated with Celtic music.

Tickets are $25 each for concert and workshop or $40 for both and can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com Contact; taprootsessions@gmail.com or 413 429 1176.

Crossing over into Connecticut, we find Irish music at three venues, two of which are in Norfolk and one in Torrington. Dicey Riley will come to Norfolk’s Infinity Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road for a St. Patrick's Day weekend concert Saturday, March 18th at 8PM. The Alt-Irish band is one of the most pre-eminent of New England's Celtic bands, playing a mixture of traditional Celtic, Americana Roots and Alt-Country music.

For tickets and information click here.

And at the Norfolk Library, 9 Greenwoods Road, Téada (meaning “strings” in Gaelic) will present traditional Irish music Sunday, March 19th, at 5:30 PM. Founded by Sligo fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada, Téada’s line-up includes fiddle, button accordion, flute, guitar and vocals. Doors open at 5PM and music starts at 5:30.

Register here.

The Warner Theatre, 68 Main Street in Torrington, gets into the act Thursday, March 16th at 8PM when it welcomes the Irish Tenors to the Oneglia Auditorium. The Irish Tenors, composed of Declan Kelly, Anthony Kearns and Dr. Ronan Tynan, have performed all over the world, including the best venues in America, from Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall in New York to The Hollywood Bowl in California.

For tickets go to warnertheatre.org.

Crossing yet another state line, audiences can find a lively afternoon with Paddy in Poughkeepsie, the Hudson Valley’s biggest Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. It will be held Saturday, March 11th, 2 to 8PM at the MJN Convention Center, 14 Civic Center Plaza. The event features The Mighty Ploughboys, and the Dropkick Murphys cover band, the NOTKick Murphys.

Mahoney’s Irish Pub will be on-site providing traditional Irish foods and fare. There will be other vendors on the scene as well.

Visit the MJN Center Box Office or call 845-454-5800 to avoid ticketing fees. Online tickets can be obtained here.